The Portland Trail Blazers won the No. 3 overall pick in Tuesday night's NBA draft lottery, but they aren't expected to keep it. ESPN's Zach Lowe reportied that "rival executives expect them to explore the kind of veteran help that pick—plus other players—might fetch for Damian Lillard."
One of the prospects who might still be available at No. 3, Scoot Henderson, doesn't envision any issues playing alongside Dame if the Blazers go that route.
"I think I'd work out over there as well," he told The Athletic's Alex Schiffer. "I don't have to be ball dominant. When my time comes, I'll kill."
The 19-year-old Henderson might believe he would kill it next to Lillard, but the 32-year-old superstar has already made it abundantly clear he wants to chase championships, not take part in a rebuild around young players.
"I'm just not interested in that. That's not a secret," he told reporters in early April regarding the possibility of the team drafting another prospect in the lottery. "I want a chance to go for it. And if the route is to (draft youth), then that's not my route."
Portland's front office seemingly is in concert with Dame.
"We don't want to go through this anymore," general manager Joe Cronin added in April. "It's time for us to start winning basketball games."
The question is what will happen if the Blazers can't find the type of star that would move the needle for Lillard and be worth a trade for the No. 3 overall pick. That pick likely would be used on either Henderson or Alabama forward Brandon Miller, depending on what the Charlotte Hornets do at No. 2.
Both of those players potentially have an All-Star ceiling. Pairing either with Anfernee Simons (23), Shaedon Sharpe (19), Nassir Little (23) and Keon Johnson (21) would give the Blazers a very intriguing young core.
Lowe noted that any trade for a star player likely would require both the No. 3 pick and Simons, writing that "if they do try to load up around Lillard—which requires Lillard indicating he'd like to stay in Portland—expect the Blazers to go after wings and big men, sources said."
Lowe added that the Blazers are expected to re-sign Jerami Grant.
So it would be a core group of Lillard, a star-player-to-be-determined and Grant, with Sharpe potentially sticking around unless the Blazers identify a true superstar who wants to be moved (which likely would force the team to give up its two best young players and the No. 3 pick, among other moving pieces).
Is that enough to realistically win a title?
Maybe, maybe not. But Lillard isn't going to wait around for a young prospect to develop. The Blazers are either going all in on Dame this summer or he'll very likely demand a trade.
Get your popcorn ready.
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May 18, 2023 at 08:29AM
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Scoot Henderson Talks Potential Fit With Damian Lillard, Blazers After Draft Lottery - Bleacher Report
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